Chapter Eleven- Publicity Stunts
"Dueling pop stars?" Alexis repeated, disgusted.
"That's right. Crowler's lost it. Using our last name and dueling skills to further his career."
"Well, we won't let him. We won't let him use us."
"Right. The only question is who the next target will be…wait." Atticus' eyes got a faraway look.
"Atticus?" Alexis prompted.
"Syrus," she said. "He'll want to capitalize on his last name."
"Oh my gosh, you're right. But, what could he be planning?"
"My guess is the same thing he did with Chazz, only Sy would be promoted to Ra."
Alexis nodded, went to her closet, and pulled out a duffel bag before putting her belongings in it. Atticus was confused by her sister's actions. "Sis?"
"I'm moving out. Most of our friends live at Slifer and besides Crowler might try to persuade us again. Actually, he already is trying." Alexis reached into her closet and pulled out a flashy red dress.
"Oh, man." Atticus was disgusted beyond words.
"You might want to check your closet."
Atticus ran to it and flung open the doors. There, hanging among her uniforms, was an identical red dress! She gasped before grabbing her bag. "I'm moving out too," she declared.
Atticus gaped at the place that was Chazz's room. Room? More like an apartment, she thought. "Really? Lexi and I can crash here?"
"Of course. You lovely ladies are welcome here."
Atticus resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Chazz, you remember I'm taken, right?"
"So, why did you two leave Obelisk?" Jaden asked.
Both sisters looked at each other and Atticus nodded. "Show them, sis." Alexis reached into her bag and pulled out the dress, holding it up against her body. "Crowler wants to turn us into dueling pop star sisters," Atticus explained. "He would want us to wear matching dresses and sing while we duel. We're not going to let him use us to further his career and speaking of which, he may target you next, Sy."
"Me?" Syrus said. "Why?"
"Because you're related to Zane."
"Almost on cue, the door opened and Bastion came in. His eyes landed on Syrus. "Oh, there you are, Syrus."
Atticus' prediction was absolutely correct. Crowler set up a duel between Syrus and a third-year Obelisk named Missy. The way the girl went on about Zane angered Atticus. He loves me and he will never be interested in another girl or stop loving me. Come on, Sy. Shut her up for good. Syrus defeated Missy in very good style and he secured his promotion, yet continued to live at Slifer. Atticus wondered briefly why until she saw the interaction between him and Hassleberry. Ah, they're arguing about who Jaden's best friend is. It's kind of ridiculous, but of course I'm on Syrus' side. He's been Jaden's friend and roommate for a little over a year.
A couple of days later, Atticus was seated in the auditorium with the rest of the school, preparing to watch Zane duel Aster Phoenix. The excitement in the room was clear and students smiled and nodded at her and Syrus. She locked eyes with the new Ra student and he beamed at her at being supported. She smiled back before focusing on the screen as the duel began. Jaden had confessed to dueling Aster on the day the freshmen arrived, though he didn't know it at the time. He further said he beat Aster who had used a starter deck. I wonder what his real deck is like.
The duel was fast, furious, and stunning. Aster used Elemental Heroes, just like Jaden and he defeated Zane in a shocking manner. An interview followed the duel where Aster hinted at a copycat duelist and that he seeks a re-match. He spoke Jaden's name as an alias that was so close to Jaden's name that the whole room knew who Aster was talking about.
"I didn't copy him," Jaden protested as they gathered in his dorm room. "I didn't even know who I was dueling."
"Of course you didn't copy him," Atticus said. "It's just a coincidence. Besides, there's no rule saying that two duelist can't have similar decks."
"Key word: Similar," Bastion added. "The fusion monsters we saw are not part of Jaden's deck. I personally look forward to this duel. It should be quite the show."
Bastion's statements turned out to be correct. Aster started off with Elemental Heroes, but he soon revealed a new kind of heroes called the Destiny Heroes. Their special effects were stunning to witness, but even more stunning was when Jaden lost! Atticus couldn't believe it. She had seen Jaden duel plenty of times before and the guy never lost. His loss to Aster had been put aside as Jaden had collapsed after losing. Atticus and the others immediately rushed Jaden to the infirmary.
"What!?" Syrus gasped, holding Jaden's deck and looking at his friend who lay in a bed. "You can't see your cards?"
Hassleberry looked at the cards over Syrus' shoulder. "They seem fine to me," he commented.
"They're not," Jaden insisted sounding sad and depressed. "I don't know why, but I can't see them."
Miss Fontaine was at a loss to explain Jaden's problem as he was physically fine. She then insisted they leave so she could tend to him. They did so, Syrus leaving the deck behind. They chatted quietly about Jaden's strange problem and as they started to leave the school, they heard Crowler call, "Atticus! Alexis! A moment of your time?"
The Rhodes sisters exchanged looks that they knew what Crowler was going to say. Their friends had stopped but Alexis waved them on. "We'll be right there. This won't take long." They faced Crowler as the others left.
"I was wondering if either of you have re-considered my offer," he said.
"You mean the dueling pop star idea?" Atticus said. "Sorry. The answer is still no."
"We plan to be duelists, not singers," Alexis added. "We will not be singers, period." Alexis turned on her heel and marched off with Atticus behind her.